Instagram Gears Up on Testing "Repost" Feature to Selected Users

Instagram will be testing a new feature for selected users where they can 'repost' a certain post or reels on the platform. No public announcements were made regarding the testings, but the company confirms via TechCrunch.

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A spokesperson from Meta stated that only a small number of people will first experience this new feature as it will only be up for testing. "We're exploring the ability to reshare posts in Feed - similar to how you can reshare in Stories - so people can share what resonates with them, and so original creators are credited for their work," they added.

Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, posted screenshots on Twitter that reveals a new tab in the profile where all of the reposted contents can be seen, alongside the account's posts, reels, and tagged photos tab. App Researcher Alessandro Paluzzi also saw this feature in May, proving that the platform has been working on this new feature for months now.

Users from Instagram tend to repost certain content by using a different application or a third-party app. Through this new update, people on the platform will be free from using these applications as a report from The Verge confirmed. As of the moment, re-sharing content within the platform can only be done via Instagram Stories or Direct Messages.

Before using the new feature, a short description will pop up that states "Share a post your friends will love by reposting to your followers' recommendations, amplify the voices of your favorite creators by sharing their original posts, and expressing yourself through your reposts - now save in a separate tab on your profile." Adding users' own thoughts when sharing reposted content will also be added in the update.

Reposting Contents from Different Platforms

The idea of reposting content on social media was first seen on Twitter as they offer a "Retweet" option for their users. As time passes, many platforms adopted this feature, including TikTok.

Earlier this year, TikTok added this feature where users only require to tap the repost button, and the video will be added to the 'For You' page of users' followers. Unlike Twitter and soon Instagram, reposted contents will not be showing up on users' profiles.

Instagram also noted that this feature will lessen the creators' experience with stolen content or reposting content that is uncredited, as the platform is full of memes and photos that often don't credit users who originally posted them.

This new feature did not surprise some of the people on the internet as Instagram is currently updating its features and changing the algorithm of the users' feed with AI-driven recommended contents as the platform redesigns to compete with TikTok.

No confirmations have yet been given if this feature will push through and will be released soon publicly as it is still in testing. Once it enters the testing phase, the company might announce more detailed information soon.

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Written by Inno Flores

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